Moved to the US but I can't do anything cos I don't have ID!

Some of you may remember me from the forums, though I've been MIA for a good while as things have been so busy this last year!

This January I moved to Illinois to be with @wrighteous86 :) It was a long, long process but we finally made it! The only problem is that I can't open a bank account, get a drivers licence, state ID or apply for anything that needs multiple forms of ID.

All I have is the visa that was stuck in my passport with an Alien Registration number, which I was told by immigration is basically my SSN, but everyone asks for proof of address. Wrighteous86 and I tried adding my name onto the electricity account, but they also need two forms of ID to even do that! I don't have my green card yet, I was told that it could take three months to arrive… I'm lucky that I at least have Wrighteous86 to support me, I'd be pretty stuck if I moved out here by myself!

Does anyone have any kind of advice or options that we may not have thought of? Thanks!

If you have a job yet you can use your payslip as a proof of address.

http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/092/09201030ZZ9996BR.html

Scroll down and there is a list of all the forms of identification you can look into getting.

will the state accept your registration number and passport as the sufficient information to obtain a regular ID? I know that Texas has both a regular DL and just a normal ID but I don't know if that applies to Illinois.

Actually, that feels like a weird catch-22. Although I guess a birth certificate backed by utility bills, etc will get you through most job applications.

Hey@duskvamp. First congratulations on making the scary move. Second, get a government or state id. Third, get a drivers licence as soon as possible. From my experience ( i moved to college for Canada) a passport generally worked for most ids but getting a drivers licence made everything super easy.

Sorry duder, I didn't realize the requirement for an ID was that strict. As far as I know, I've seen individuals who has applied for individual Tax ID that's issued on paper similar to Social Security Cards. You might be able to apply for an ITIN being a registered alien. Having an ITIN should satisfy group C in requesting for an ID, I have no idea about group D though.

IRS CRAZY SITE!

Also, I think you might be able to obtain some sort of affidavit of location, that sounds like something that basically says that someone verifies that you live "blah blah blah" with a notary... I could be wrong though.

Did you get permission to work? I think you could have done that with your green card and it comes faster allowing you to get a social security number. For the D portion of the documents needed section have him open a bank account and put your name on it, when a statement comes from the bank you are golden.


I went through the same thing with my wife I will ask her if she remembers anything more specific, this was 4+ years ago at this point.

I've used a piece of mail sent to me as proof of address and recommended that to my roommate. He didn't say it didn't work! But keep in mind that that was only for signing up for a library card, so your mileage may vary.

...and Kidavenger already won the topic.

In Canada, even if you're a natural born citizen, you need a note from a professional (lawyer, doctor, engineer) who you have known for 2 years in order to get ID. It's fucked.

You are in a catch-22 until you can get some more IDs. If possible look for a legal aid office in Illinois; i.e. free legal advice. A lawyer might be able to help you figure out how to get some legal IDs with fewer hassles sooner rather than later. A immigration lawyer has probably seen and heard all the parameters before, so they can likely give you a roadmap of IDs to get.

@brodehouse: Same in England for your passport, not sure how long they've had to know you but you can't get one without a professional writing to acknowledge your existence.

Now you're getting it! If you've never looked into it, immigration law is a wonderful and hilarious maze of poorly thought out dictates, red tape, and agenda based legislation that puts the ATF to shame. OK, it actually still pales in comparison to ATF rigmarole but it's still pretty amazing.

Canada's history with immigration is both colorful and indicative of deep seated social issues that are still largely unsolved which is fun in it's own way.

@duskvamp: @wrighteous86: Also congrats to both of you guys to finally being able to live together stateside. Its been awhile since I've seen you guys in the forums.

Anyway, yeah not much to add here other than what was already said by other duders. I'm also an immigrant and I live in Illinois. I don't know if this is possible but maybe Wrighteous (I'm sorry guys I forgot your real names) can add you into an existing phone bill via an extra line. I think that can also be used as a proof of address. Hopefully, that doesn't require multiple forms of identification to obtain.

EDIT: I think the proof of address is probably the biggest pain to get since you need two documents. I'm referencing stuff that you guys need from this link. If you guys need to get the State ID first, Group A and B should be satisfied by your passport while group C would be your visa that would be stuck in your passport (if that actually contains your full SSN). Hopefully, you can get that second proof of address if you guys manage to get the phone bill.

Welcome to IL! The GB IL collective should take you out for a beer!

Good luck with getting the ID/DL hopefully we can all do a welcoming meet up for you. God knows we all need a reason to have a meet up again. It's great you have someone around to help you.

I actually just got a new ID today, all I had to do was show some form of identification, for which I used a permit, a bank statement and a form to confirm where I lived, and my SS number. Everything went pretty easy, though I did have to wait a bit. They should be able to process you in a tax collector or DMV office

You're going to get a green card in 3 months? How? Did you get married?

There are usually a lot of steps before you get to a green card.

For a lot of stuff you can use your passport as ID. For other things, you'll need a state-issued ID. You can get this from the state using your passport (usually) and proof you live somewhere. You're on the right track with the utility bill.

What kind of visa do you have? If you only have a tourist visa then you're going to find some things are hard to set up. This is intentional, as a tourist visa isn't supposed to be used for sticking around.

If you are renting, a signed and witnessed letter from the landlord stating you are residing there might work as proof of address.

That's sweet, well done.

Hey guys, sorry I've taken so long to reply! I started my new job on Wednesday, excuses, excuses... And as luck would have it, my green card arrived on Wednesday also! I'm hoping that the letter it came with will be good enough proof of where I live as it's an official government letter. We're going to try again at the bank tomorrow and *fingers crossed* they'll let me open an account.

Even though the immigration officer told me that my Alien Registration number is "basically" my SSN, I did some research and found that not to be the case and that I could apply for my own SSN. So I went to the Social Security Office on my day off and they're sending me one out in the mail.

It's been a stressful 2 months but hopefully this whole palaver will be over with soon. Thanks to everyone for your help and advice, I did read them all at the time, I'm just terrible at getting round to replying! Sorry!

Now to get college courses and finance sorted!

Man, us Illinois bombers (word choice?) really need to get something together again. I missed out on that one meetup and I've regretted since.

@hatking: Yeah that one was a lot of fun. Too bad Patrick's gone now.

@duskvamp: Glad to hear things seem to be looking up for you. Hope everything fully works out in the end! =)

I don't have much to add in the way of advice really but congrats to you both for the move going smoothly ID issues aside. I hope you get that stuff sorted soon so you can just enjoy your new life over here. :)

Yup. You need a state/federal ID and a birth certificate to do anything of worth in this country. It's the same reason why republicans hate the idea of illegal immigrants getting ID cards of any kind. They believe they'll get frustrated and go home instead of factoring in human nature knowing they just get forged replicas.

@wrighteous86: If you guys have interest in doing something similar to that again, let me know. Shoot me a PM sometime. I'd definitely be willing to do my part in putting something like that together. I'm sure there are plenty of Illinois folks here who would love to attend some sort of party, despite Patrick not being around. And, assuming he still lives in the Chicago area, I'm sure he'd be willing to attend such a gathering if it existed. I miss Patrick, but I certainly harbor no negative feelings towards his choice in moving on.

@duskvamp:

Welcome to the United States! I hope you enjoy it here!

If the Bank doesn't help you again, maybe try a Credit Union. Those are often locally owned and run and frequently have better customer service than the National chains. Even if they can't help you, they may be able to point you in the right direction

@duskvamp: I went through the same hassles when I moved over here, the immigration officer that told you your Alien number is basically your SSN is wrong, definitely go get a proper one from Social Security. Also if you keep running into issues with a lack of ID, look into getting a library card, a lot of places count that as a form of ID and it can help you get your State ID and all that fun stuff.

He might not be working for GB/CBSI anymore but I think he'll still show up for a GB community get-together if asked.

Working with immigration sucks. Took almost a year for my wife to get her green card. You should be able to get a SS number without too much issue. Everything else is kind of dependent on that.

Also, welcome to Illinois.

@duskvamp: Good luck, hope things work out for you.

Can't you get one from the post office?

@duskvamp:

I was in exactly your situation 12 years ago.

You should be able to get a SS number then with that get a license (or at least a proof of age card) once you have those everything becomes much easier.